Five Alternative Careers in Golf

You do not have to be a professional golfer to enjoy a career in golf. According to the National University Golf Academy, there are now 32,000 golf courses in 119 countries across the globe, 19,000 of them in North America. The golf industry generates more than $75 billion in annual income. At least 25 million people enjoy this game each year in the United States.

With numbers like these, it is not hard to see how there can be great opportunity for jobs of all types surrounding this vital industry. Here are five careers in the golf field that allow candidates to work with their favorite sport even if they are not championship golfer material.

Golf Resort Manager
A golf resort manager is in charge of the day-to-day operations of a country club or other venue with a golf course. Some golf resorts are very large, having more than one course and hosting thousands of players every year while some are small, requiring only one manager and a small crew. Golf resort managers perform a variety of duties, including:

• Managing workers and assigning work schedules and duties
• Coordinating events such as local golf competitions
• Ordering supplies and managing maintenance issues
• Purchasing new supplies to stock golf stores on site
• Marketing the resort to the public

Sales Manager
Golf sales managers are often employed in three functions: sales of golf lessons and equipment, sales of properties around golf developments, and sales of club memberships.

Golf courses often have “pro shops,” stores where golfers can purchase golf clubs, golf balls, tees, clothing items, and other golf supplies. Sales managers who run these stores must be able to manage inventory, work with customers, demonstrate new equipment and techniques, and deal with the day-to-day management issues of any type of store. Candidates for this job often have sales backgrounds and must understand the game of golf thoroughly in order to be able to advise customers on their purchases.

Another type of sales common in the golf world is the sale of real estate surrounding golf courses. Many planned communities are golf-themed, with homes backing up to first-rate courses and clubhouses. Some communities even have age limits for residents, catering to the retired crowd. A sales manager for this type of company would need real estate experience as well as golf exposure to be able to reach the potential customers and market these homes.

Finally, many country clubs or golf clubs regularly seek new members and need sales managers to handle this type of marketing. Sales managers for a country club or golf club might organize invitational open houses for prospective members, purge client lists and look for recommendations for new clients, and handle the actual sales of memberships to new candidates.

Golf Professional
A golf professional is an employee of a golf or country club that provides lessons to the public and supervises local golf tournaments. Golf professionals are often those who at one time were involved in golf tournaments themselves but for whatever reason decided to stop competing. However, you do not have to have been a competitive golfer in order to be a golf professional at a club. Many clubs hire golf professionals who simply know the game well and have played extensively, whether they have ever won tournaments or not.

Golf pros spend their day giving paid lessons to those who want to improve their games. They also set up local tournaments or fundraisers and work with the public to bring the game of golf to those who may not have easy access to courses.

Golf Tournament Director
A golf tournament director is someone who manages larger golf tournaments. The PGA and other associations hire tournament directors to take care of all aspects of a major golf tournament, from planning for catering and lodging for participants to crowd control and greens maintenance. A golf tournament director must be able to handle an infinite variety of details on a very short time schedule and manage the work of others effectively. Many golf tournament directors travel extensively to meet the demands of scheduled tournaments all over the world.

Golf Rules Official
A golf rules official is the “referee” of the golfing sport. This person makes decisions as required for professional golf tournaments when there is a question about a ball’s lie or other issue and also works with other officials to codify the rules of play. A golf rules official often has experience working in one of the other fields of golf prior to becoming an official, and must attend a training workshop sanctioned by the United States Golf Association prior to working with tournaments.

As you can see, there are many jobs available for those who want to be surrounded by golf besides being a professional golfer. One of these careers may be right for you!

This article was written by Jonathan Kirin, an avid writer of golf articles online, on behalf of Keiser University and their College of Golf. Make sure to look them up if you’re interested in getting a degree with a focus in golf!